


A Scientific Analysis: Freeze Breath

by PoppyCartinelli



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: F/F, Happy Holidays and I hope you enjoy!, I swear, Lena in my head is just so angry, SuperCorp, This is DUMB, but like scientifically, iamsuperconfused, scientific kinks, specifically statistics, supergirlfemslashsecretsanta2019, these things happen, this author does not have a statistics kink
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-21
Updated: 2019-12-21
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:01:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,854
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21882685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PoppyCartinelli/pseuds/PoppyCartinelli
Summary: Well, mostly scientific.
Relationships: Kara Danvers/Lena Luthor
Comments: 22
Kudos: 119
Collections: Supergirl Femslash Secret Santa 2019





	A Scientific Analysis: Freeze Breath

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Iamsuperconfused](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iamsuperconfused/gifts).



> This is for iamsuperconfused who asked for:
> 
> "The interesting thing about Freeze Breath is . . ."
> 
> This got a little rambly, but I hope you enjoy it!

The interesting thing about Freeze Breath is that it's scientifically dumb. Humans are warm, as are Kryptonians, and neither should be capable of creating sub-zero temperatures (in  _ any _ temperature system) without technical assistance. And, to top it all off, this near-magical, bone-chilling ability comes from the radiation of the sun, which is unimaginably hot.

Kryptonians are hot (yes yes, in both meanings, she does have  _ eyes _ , thank you very much) and, accordingly, so are their lungs. They must be, because keeping a thermal difference within the same system is obnoxiously energy-consuming. This means, generally, Kryptonians are full of hot air, like everyone else. 

-Even Kara, as sweet as she is, has her double standards. Though she's been an unknown integer of degrees better than almost anyone else on the planet (it's likely 355 degrees, but she can't be quite sure yet, updates to follow). Most people in her life have promised more than they've procured. Or just promised nothing at all, actually-

Regardless, Lex left all his manic research in his little black binders, all neatly labelled and written in code. It wouldn't have taken a genius to figure out that Lex had written his books in Kryptonian, but Lena was one anyway, so that helped. This 'freeze-breath' apparently had a low end of about -40 degrees F/C or 233 Kelvin. Which was fucking cold. 

Kara certainly ran hotter than a human (oh yes, she knew, right about when Supergirl pulled her out of a helicopter just after meeting Superman's cousin, who was also a journalist. Why wouldn't she also be a superhero? Some things just run in the family

-Also ruining Lena's alien detection device had been so rude. Who lazers another person's property in full view of their security cameras? For fucks sake.-

) so probably about 38C. A nice little brain-melting fever for a human. 

Which means her lungs, and the rest of her, can withstand a nearly  _ eighty degree Celsius  _ change.  _ Eighty _ .

Bears go through an  _ eight  _ degree change during hibernation and their whole bodies nearly shut down.  _ Eighty  _ is a full logarithmic factor higher. That a biological system could withstand such a difference was absolutely fucking bananas. That a biological system could  _ create _ such a difference was simply unbelievable. But then again, scientifically impossible things were happening all the time these days, so obviously humanity's understanding of physics is abysmally worse than even she'd predicted.

"Emitting focused beams of stored radiation from her eyes makes so much more sense than creating arctic-level temperatures in her lungs." Her whiskey swirled in its plastic cup. "Biological organisms are designed to create and dispel heat, not create cold." 

The city lights flickered below, the cold of her balcony railing was starting to seep through her sleeves. 

"Unless the rest of her body absorbs nearly eighty degrees of heat to allow her lungs to reach such a temperature. But how does that heat transfer even occur so quickly?" The pigeon to her left doesn’t respond. "Additionally, if it's a near-instantaneous temperature absorption of such magnitude, how does she not fucking explode?" 

The pigeon cooed. 

"Helpful," She grumbled and swirled her drink over the railing. “Plus, how did such an adaptation come about? It’s not natural on their homeworld so it’s not like it was evolution.”

She took another drink and snorted. “Can’t be a sex-trait, huh?” A  _ woosh  _ sounded above her Lena looked up, her chin hooked over the railing. “Well, if it isn’t the woman of the hour, or species really.”

Super-Kara frowned and tilted her head. “I’m sorry? What?”

“I was discussing your freeze-breathe with this pigeon.” The pigeon cooed and flew over to land on Kara’s shoulder. “Who is not only a less-than astute conversation partner but also a traitor.” 

Kara scritched at the bird’s head and that little crinkled appeared on her forehead. 

“We were hypothesizing, or I was, the pigeon really wasn’t helping at all, that your freeze-breath was a sex-linked trait.” 

“Are you… are you drunk?”

“Don’t try to change the topic, Super-Kara.” Lena gestured out and liquid sloshed over her fingers. Eww. She switched the drink to her other hand and shook her fingers, “Answer the question.”

Super-Kara blinked owlishly at her, eyes wider than a flying saucer. “Uh wah? What question? And hah, who’s Kara?”

Lena sucked a stray drop from her finger. “Do you use freeze breath during sex?” She was starting to feel a little woozy. Maybe it was the height. Or the pigeon, that traitor, she should have known it was sent to kill her. 

“What?!” Kara leaned back, which was weird to look at really-

Like seriously, air dynamics are… uhm… that word… regardless, they’re that and this whole shindig that these caped peeps had going on was just not right. Scientifically all of this was like a piece of gum stuck to Lena’s shoe

-, and flushed bright red. “I-wha- Lena! I think it’s time you went home!” 

Lena looked at her empty glass and the world did that earthquake thing except her earthquake alarm wasn’t going off so there couldn’t be an earthquake. Unless Kara’d fried that too. “Did you lazer my earthquake monitor like you lazered my alien detection device?” She looked up and, hey, actually. “You know, that was really expensive and your eye radiation was rude, you never even apologized.” 

Kara grimaced and floated lower. “Uh, yeah, I’m sorry about that, and I’ll pay you back? Let me just take you home, okay?” Her hands were always warm, but gosh this warm? Maybe her calculations were off. “Lena, you’re freezing!”

“Aha!” Kara got really close and then farther away and she should really be still when having a conversation. Good grief, did she grow up in the Kryptonian-equivalence of a barn? “So you do use breeze freath during sex!” 

Wait…

“Freath breeze.” Lena frowned and worked on her lip movements. Really, sound communication was so dumb. “Frrrreeeezzzee bbbrrrrreaaathhhhh.” 

“Lena, I don’t know what you’re talking about, but I’m going to pick you up and take you home now.” Kara was warmer than the sun. How did such a, well relatively large but actually, small body fit so much radiation. 

Oh shit, was she radiationing everyone around her? “Kara,” She placed her hand on Kara’s shoulder and looked up into her eyes, those blue ones, they’re really pretty. “I need a cancer screening.”

Those eyes went big and “Wah-? Huh? Lena? What?”

“I’m going to throw up now.”

“Uh??”

* * *

She blinks. Her ceiling is where a ceiling ought to be, above her. It’s pretty nondescript from this angle. It is titanium reinforced with shock-absorbing padding though. It’s bomb proof, except for a nuclear bomb, of course. That kind of bunkering seemed like overkill. If someone was so set on killing her that they’d nuke the whole city, she’d rather they be able to use a lesser method..

Her right hand is warm. Her left hand is cold. Weird. 

She turns her head and it throbs like a bass beat in a teenager’s garage. Ouch.

“Hi.” Kara, just Kara, no supersuit, gives her a tiny wave. Her hand is encased in Kara’s. 

She raises her left hand and arm and ceremoniously drapes it over her eyes, groaning. 

“Lena? Are you okay?” 

“Good god, what happened?” 

The hand covering hers begins rubbing soothing patterns across her palm. It’s stupidly nice. “Uhm, Supergirl flew you home?”

Ugh, no no, she’s hurting far too much to play that game. “From when you picked me up from my balcony, to this morning, what happened?”

Kara shifts. “Uhm, you threw up on my boots.”

That would be funny if she’d done so on purpose. Geez. “I’ll pay for those.”

“I think they’re worth less than your alien detection device, so, uhm, we’ll call it even?”

Hah, “Nice try.” Kara shifts again and Lena squints from under her arm. Kara’s really blushing, which is a lovely look. But oh no, what else did she do? “What, Kara?”

“Err,” Kara scratches at her cheek and rubs at the comforter. “You uhm… kept uh saying, ‘for science’ and well, uh, trying to kiss me.”

Oh, of course. Great.

Kara kept fidgeting and rubbing her hand. The blush on her cheeks looked so nice and she finally isn’t denying the Supergirl thing and Lena’s just… a little gay. Kara shifts and the shirt of her blouse bunches against her bicep. 

Okay a lot gay and YOLO, right? “And, if sober me, for science, asked you to kiss me?” 

Kara stills. “For science?”

“Of course.”

Kara doesn’t move and doesn’t look at her and these are the times it’s painfully obvious that she isn’t human. Her eyes are far too knowing for a woman her age. 

“I was supposed to join the Science Guild on Krypton.” Kara looks at her and there’s so much more… person in her eyes. Powerful and huge and scarily intelligent. 

Lena doesn’t move, barely breathes. 

Then it’s gone. Kara scratches her nose and a blush filters back to her cheeks and she- “so uhm, I know how, uh, important science is.” 

She stores the memories of those eyes, for now, because she’s going to want to meet that Kara again. But well, with such an invitation, how can she not rise to the bait? “Mh, you had the scientific method on Krypton right?”

Kara nods and quirks her head. 

“Statistical relevance is born of repetition.” 

Kara “oh”’s and presses forward slightly onto the bed. “I won first place in our science fair because my r’lthou growth repetitions only had a 0.002% error margin.” 

A rush of heat cascades down to her stomach and Kara’s eyes almost immediately dilate. Kara pauses and her eyebrows crinkle together until her eyes meet Lena’s and her eyebrow pops up and Lena’s going to vacate her body “don’t even, just come here and kiss me.” 

Her head still throbs but Kara tastes so much better than the roof of her own mouth. Plus, Kara breathes out on her own hand and that’s the softest ice-pack Lena’s ever known.

* * *

“So, you’re into statistical accuracy?” 

"What?” 

"Well remember when I told you about how I'd won first place in the science fair on Krypton because my r’lthou growth repetitions only had a 0.002% error margin?”

"Yes?"

"Well you uh, seemed really interested." 

"I mean, yes that was the fir- oh Kara, No."

"What? There's nothing wrong with that!"

"Good lord, it wasn't your statistics, it was you talking in Kryponese!"

"Oh, well… are you sure?"

"... Are you into statistical accuracy, Kara?"

"What? No, I was just saying you may be interested, I didn’t know, but there’s obviously more to unpack in that than I’d originally thought and you like when I speak in Kryptonian? I mean I can teach you if you’re interested, although know you you probably already know it but-”

“I had an error rate of less than 1/50000 in my last test run.”

“Oh-oh? Really? That’s the same error margin I had.”

“Indeed.”

“Oh.”

“Are you alright, Kara?”

“Y-uh, yes?”

“Mhm, would you like to see my lab?”

“Oh, oh yes, very much so.”

**Author's Note:**

> The scientific messages in this fanfiction are sponsored by Dumbness.


End file.
